Singapore 2017
What made you choose Arabian horses for the horse safaris and later on for your breeding business ?
IH : As a child , living and competing dressage in The Netherlands , I once saw a young lady on a white purebred Arabian horse doing a dressage test . This picture had such an impact on me that I promised myself to be the proud owner of such a gorgeous horse one day . Therefore , the choice was an easy one ; Arabian horses it would be ! Furthermore , the horses had to be of the right age and preferably already under saddle . This proved not to be an easy task ; at that stage there were not a lot of breeders of the Arabian horse on my side of the world . Five horses were bought in South Africa of which only 1 was under saddle ; 3 horses in Namibia which were still too young to be brought under saddle . Later on another few were bought in an auction and brought under saddle by a local guy . A few months later ( Sidi Makkhir [ Maistro x Arabest Khirida ]), the senior champion stallion in South Africa was bought . And what are you going to do with a stallion ? Obviously , buy a few mares to keep him happy , and so the breeding of the Straight Egyptian Arabians started .
Over the years horses were brought in from the U . S . A . ( Baraka Magic Star and RHR Sunset Cowboy [ Thee Desperado x Chelima ]), Germany ( Shai Shirin [ Shaikeel x Sanaa ]) and Belgium ( Flaxman ’ s Zaroufa [ Niyashin x Aaroufa ]) and of course South Africa and Namibia . What makes the Arabian horse special to you ?
IH : Their beauty and grace , their inquisitiveness , intelligence and aloofness , their sensitivity , gentleness and power , their playfulness and ( wicked ) sense of humour , their willingness to work and please , and of course their versatility .
We all know that Arabian horses are a versatile breed . Arabians dominate the discipline of endurance riding , and compete in many other fields of equestrian sport . You can find Arabians everywhere , including the United States and Canada , United Kingdom , Australia , Europe , South America , and their land of origin , the Middle East .
Arabian horses are beautiful , good-natured , quick to learn , willing to please and able to form a cooperative relationship with humans . These qualities don ’ t just make them excellent horses in competition and sports , it makes them excellent coaches as well . Their sensitive nature and high spirit makes Arabian horses react to your behavior and mindset in a clear way which makes you think of your own actions .
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